1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to call centers and, more particularly, to providing content to callers on hold.
2. Related Art
In conventional call centers, the number of incoming telephone calls generally exceeds the number of persons (e.g., agents) available to answer the telephone calls. As a result, incoming telephone calls are typically entered into a queue and distributed as agents become available to respond. Meanwhile, callers (e.g., customers) are forced to remain on hold until they are eventually connected with an agent.
While callers remain on hold, the call center may use various statistical methods to calculate and periodically inform each caller of the estimated length of time expected to elapse before an agent becomes available to answer the caller's individual telephone call. Unfortunately, the actual wait time experienced by each caller can vary in response to unpredictable changes in the number of available agents and the number of prior callers who chose to hang up or remain on hold.
The call center may also provide callers on hold with music, advertising, or other content, all of which is often generally referred to as “music on hold.” Such content is often provided in the form of a pre-recorded loop of fixed duration which cannot be readily modified in realtime. However, because of the fixed nature of such content, it cannot be readily adjusted in response to variations in wait times experienced by callers described above. This can lead to dissatisfaction on the part of callers and resource inefficiencies on the part of the call center.
For example, if a caller spends a relatively long time on hold, the same looped content may be repeated to the caller many times. As a result, the caller may become frustrated or lose interest in any advertising or other information included in the content. Conversely, if the caller spends a relatively short time on hold, the caller may hear only part of the content, such as only part of an advertisement, before being connected with an agent. In this case, the advertisement may be rendered ineffective if the caller does not hear a complete message that includes an introduction portion, a body portion, and a closure portion.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved approach to providing content to callers of a call center that overcomes deficiencies in prior approaches identified above.